How I Almost Became the Fastest GT7 Racer: My Insane Journey at the Nürburgring
After a few days away from home, I was back and itching to switch on my PS5. The Gran Turismo 7 Online Time Trials have been my latest obsession, and I couldn't wait to jump back in. This latest challenge was nothing short of intense, and it pushed my limits in ways I hadn't dreamed of.
The Challenge That Caught Me Off Guard
You don’t necessarily need a PS5 to keep up with the latest in the GT7 world. I, for one, was aware Polyphony was prepping a new challenge for Thursday. What I wasn’t prepared for was the surprise they had in store. When I checked the website, a race at the Nürburgring Nordschleife with a Porsche was announced. This was the last thing I expected, but it was a dream come true.
Just an hour and a half after the Time Trial went live, a user named Rio-1913492 topped the leaderboard with a phenomenal 7:35.061 lap time. The second-best, interestingly, was four seconds slower! The community's engagement was more than I imagined, with the least competitive time being 9:34.480 from the 1,300 drivers that had registered at that point.
My Preparations and High Hopes
With the challenge in mind, I assumed a long race would deter many players, thus reducing my competition. I was aiming for a lap time better than 8:30 right from the start. After waiting 72 hours to rejoin the race, I found two Japanese drivers dominating the charts, both having cracked the 7:30 barrier. What surprised me most was the participation rate—over 50,000 people had already joined the race!
The choice of the 993, Porsche's last air-cooled model, was nothing short of genius. But it was a demanding vehicle. The rear-engine, rear-wheel-drive Porsche, powered by a 3.8-liter flat-six engine, produces 295 bhp and 262 lb-ft of torque. Its weight of 2,723 lbs makes it track-savvy and easier to drive fast compared to a regular 993. Best of all, I didn’t have the financial pressure of crashing a multimillion-dollar car in real life.
First Attempts and Hard Lessons
Before getting into the grind of the Nürburgring challenge, I decided to warm up with other notable cars. I claimed my reward from the Laguna Seca Time Trial, where I finished within the Top 50,000, earning me a Silver Record Reward and a cool million credits. This allowed me to purchase some new rides: a Jaguar XJ220 '92 and a Mazda RX500 '70. Both had to be tested on the Tsukuba Circuit.
For benchmarking, I dragged out my FC RX-7, which is notably easier to handle but slower. My first laps around Tsukuba with this trio brought me a best time of 1:04.554 using the XJ220 once I switched to a steering wheel setup. Then came the Porsche. Familiarity with the Nürburgring layout bred a sort of cockiness, but I still aimed to take my time and build up to 100% speed gradually.
Down to the Wire
With ten laps ahead, I tackled the Nürburgring, achieving an initial lap of 8:44 using a controller. Switching to a VR set amplified the experience, providing an almost tactile feel of driving a pristine 993 Carrera RS Club Sport. My first serious lap clocked in at 8:21.777, and on my second go, I sliced another 12 seconds off.
Feeling the car's weight and torque differences was crucial, especially with the unpredictable grip at higher speeds. The precision required made me acutely aware of how essential gentle inputs were. The frequency of my mistakes grew as my ambition rose, forcing frequent restarts. I was unwilling to settle for a place around P 31,350, gunning instead for a Silver Record Reward.
The Final Push
Bringing my time down to 8:00.087 was a bittersweet achievement—so close and yet so far. It placed me at P 18,289 among thousands, but I still needed to shave off 10 more seconds for that coveted Silver Reward. The saying